Shloka 63

The Description of the Greatness of the Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

इति श्रीबृहन्नारदीयपुराणोत्तरभागे मोहिनीवसुसंवादे गंगामाहात्म्यवर्णनं नामाष्टत्रिंशत्तमोऽध्यायः ॥ ३८ ॥

Transliteration

iti śrībṛhannāradīyapurāṇottarabhāge mohinīvasusaṃvāde gaṃgāmāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāmāṣṭatriṃśattamo'dhyāyaḥ || 38 ||

Translation

至此，《圣大那罗陀往世书》后分（Uttarabhāga）中，摩希尼与婆苏之对话里，名为《恒河功德之叙述》的第三十八章圆满结束。

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति-सूचक (quotative/end marker ‘thus’)

• श्री-बृहन्-नारदीय-पुराण-उत्तर-भागे: in the later section of the Śrī Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa
• श्री-बृहन्-नारदीय-पुराण-उत्तर-भागे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + बृहन् (प्रातिपदिक) + नारदीय (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक) + पुराण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative); एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (in the later section of the Śrī Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa)

• मोहिनी-वसु-संवादे: in the dialogue of Mohinī and Vasu
• मोहिनी-वसु-संवादे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोहिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + वसु (प्रातिपदिक) + संवाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मोहिन्या वसोः संवादः = dialogue of Mohinī and Vasu)

• गङ्गा-माहात्म्य-वर्णनम्: the description of the Ganges’ greatness
• गङ्गा-माहात्म्य-वर्णनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (प्रथमा/Nominative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः माहात्म्यस्य वर्णनम् = description of the greatness of the Ganges)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/label)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable ‘named/called’)

• अष्ट-त्रिंशत्तमः: thirty-eighth
• अष्ट-त्रिंशत्तमः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + त्रिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + तम (तद्धित/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies अध्यायः); द्विगु-समासः (अष्टत्रिंशत् = 38; ordinal ‘thirty-eighth’)

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/Nominative); एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator/Colophon (textual closure; dialogue context: Mohinī and a Vasu)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa
• Uttarabhāga
• Mohinī
• Vasu
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

This is a colophon verse marking the completion of Adhyaya 38, formally sealing the Gaṅgā-māhātmya teaching as a distinct unit of sacred instruction within the Narada Purana’s Uttara-Bhaga.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

While it does not give a direct bhakti injunction, it frames the Gaṅgā’s greatness as a devotional topic (māhātmya) to be heard and remembered—core bhakti practices of śravaṇa (hearing) and smaraṇa (remembrance).

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse reflects Purāṇic anukramaṇikā-style structure: precise sectioning by book (uttarabhāga), dialogue frame (saṃvāda), and chapter title—useful for textual indexing, recitation cataloging, and archival referencing rather than a specific Vedāṅga technique.